Assembly for cable conduits of a piece of workstation furniture

ABSTRACT

An assembly for cable conduits of a piece of workstation furniture having a plurality of different profile sections which can be inserted into one another, which have essentially planar outer sides, and which support connecting elements or connecting grooves, the elements or grooves being formed on the inner sides. The assembly has four different profile sections including a curved wall profile section, a side wall profile section, a wall termination profile section, and a cover profile section which can be inserted into one another to form different cable conduit structures using simple insertion elements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a kit for cable conduits for a piece ofworkstation furniture having several different profiled sections, whichcan be plugged together, having essentially flat exteriors and supportconnecting strips or connecting grooves on the interior.

2. Description of Related Art

A kit of this type is known from German Patent Reference DE 196 10 347C1. The connecting strips and connecting grooves formed on the interiorsare used for fastening cables or built-in elements in the assembledcable conduit. Complex connecting and counter-connecting elements havebeen formed out of the free longitudinal edges of the profiled sectionsfor connecting the profiled sections with each other. Also, it is onlypossible to plug together cable conduits of small receiving spaces withthe different profiled sections.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is one object of this invention to provide a kit of the typementioned above but with cable conduits of different sizes in closed orpartial embodiment, wherein only simple connecting elements need to beprovided at the profiled sections for connecting the profiled sections.

In accordance with this invention, this object is achieved with a kithaving four different profiled sections:

a) tub-shaped profiled sections of U-shaped cross section, wherein thelateral legs end in plug-in strips or plug-in grooves and form plug-ingrooves or plug-in strips at the transition areas to the base leg, whoseplugging directions are oriented in the plane of the lateral legs;

b) essentially flat partial profiled lateral wall sections having aplug-in groove on the one longitudinal edge and a plug-in strip on theother, and plugging directions oriented in the plane of the partialprofiled lateral wall sections;

c) essentially flat profiled wall end sections with a plug-in groove ora plug-in strip on the one longitudinal edge and a hinge receiver on theother, wherein the plugging direction of the plug-in groove or theplug-in strip is oriented in the plane of the profiled wall end section;and

d) essentially flat profiled cover sections with a hinge strip on onelongitudinal edge.

The connecting elements designed as plug-in strips and plug-in groovesare simple and provide, with an appropriately selected fitted and/orpressed seating, a sufficient support of the connection of the pluggedtogether cable conduit. The base element in the form of a tub-shapedprofiled section fixes the one dimension of the cable conduit, while theother dimension can be increased in steps by means of the partialprofiled lateral wall sections. Also, louver-like covering walls can becreated by means of the partial profiled lateral wall sections.

For obtaining defined plug-in connections, one embodiment matches theplug-in depth of the plug-in strips of the profiled sections to thedepth of the plug-in grooves of the profiled sections, and in theplugged together cable conduit, they are symmetrically arranged in themutual plug-in planes.

If strips, which form T-shaped connecting grooves, are formed on theinterior of the profiled sections, it is possible to fix cables andbuilt-in elements in place in the cable receiving space in the same wayas with known cable conduits. The connecting grooves can have differentdimensions.

Other connecting elements in a strip shape can also be formed on theinteriors of the profiled sections. In one embodiment at least a portionof the connecting grooves of all profiled sections has the samedimensions and receives connecting elements plugged-in at the front.This is advantageous in connection with a horizontally oriented cableconduit, because then the cable conduit can be suspended on verticalcolumns of the furniture frame.

As a rule, the profiled wall end sections adjoin the lateral legs of thetub-shaped profiled section, or the last partial profiled lateral wallsection which is connected with a lateral leg, in order to cover the topof the cable conduit with one or two profiled cover sections. In thiscase the profiled cover section can extend either over the entire widthof the cable conduit, or only over half the width. For achieving adefined locking position of the profiled cover sections, the profiledwall end sections have contact strips, and in the area of the hingestrips, the profiled cover sections have contact strips, which limit anddefine at least one pivot position of the profiled cover section on theprofiled wall end section, preferably the closed position of the cableconduit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This invention will be explained in greater detail in view of exemplaryembodiments represented in the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic assembly view of a cable conduit in theassembled position of the individual profiled sections, which can beplugged together from the kit in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a view on an open front end of an assembled cable conduit ofapproximately square cross section;

FIG. 3 is a view of a larger cable conduit of rectangular cross section;

FIG. 4 is a view of an expanded cable conduit embodiment, wherein alouver-like cover wall plugged together from profiled lateral wallsections adjoins the underside of the tub-shaped profiled section, andwith a lower edge is closed off with a cable receiver, open toward thetop, which is formed by a further tub-shaped profiled section; and

FIG. 5 is an assembled view of the assembly for cable conduits, as shownin FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The profiled sections for plugging together a cable conduit are shown inFIG. 1 in their assembled position, in a view on one front. A tub-shapedprofiled section 10 forms the base element, which determines the widthof the cable conduit to be produced and with a length cut to therequired dimensions in the piece of workstation furniture, the same asall profiled sections shown. The two lateral legs 13 adjoin the base leg11 of the tub-shaped profiled section 10 at right angles and, like thebase leg 11, are essentially flat on the exterior. T-shaped connectinggrooves 12 and 15 of different dimensions are formed on the interiors ofthe tub-shaped profiled section 10. However, it is also possible to formconnecting elements 16 of different shapes for fastening built-inelements or the like. The lateral legs 13 terminate into plug-in strips14, and the transition areas from the lateral legs 13 to the base leg 11are embodied as plug-in grooves 17, which are oriented in one plug-inplane with the plug-in strips 14 and matched in their dimensions, sothat a defined plug connection of a sufficiently satisfactory support isassured.

The lateral legs 13 of the tub-shaped profiled section 10 can beextended by partial profiled lateral wall sections 20. On onelongitudinal edge the profiled lateral wall sections 20 have a plug-ingroove 21, and on the other longitudinal edge have a plug-in strip 22,which are oriented and laid out the same as the plug-in groove 17 andthe plug-in strip 14 of the tub-shaped profiled section 10, so that theycan be connected with each other.

The lateral walls of the cable conduit are closed off by profiled wallend sections 30, which are connected by means of the plug-in groove 31with the plug-in strip 22 of the last partial profiled lateral wallsection 20. The free longitudinal edge of the profiled wall section 30has hinge receivers 33, into which a hinge strip 41 of the profiledcover section 40 can be snapped, so that the profiled cover section 40is pivotably connected with the profiled wall end section 30. In theexemplary embodiment, the profiled cover sections 40 extend only overhalf the width of the cable conduit, but they can also extend over theentire width of the cable conduit, so that the cable conduit can beclosed with only one profiled cover section. In this case, the closedposition can be fixed by detents 34 and 42 formed in the area of thehinge receiver 33 and the hinge strip 41, which delimit the pivotmovement accordingly.

The partial profiled lateral wall sections 20 and the profiled wallsections 30 have connecting grooves 24 and 32 formed on their interiors,which are laid out identically to the connecting grooves 15 of thetub-shaped profiled section 10. Also, the profiled lateral wall sections20 can have connecting grooves 23 which correspond to the connectinggrooves 12 of the tub-shaped profiled wall section 10.

It is also possible to arrange the plug-in strips and the plug-ingrooves in a reversed manner. This applies only to the tub-shapedprofiled sections 10 and the profiled wall end sections 30, because thepartial profiled lateral wall sections 20 have the plug-in strip 22 andthe plug-in groove 21 and can only be plugged in when rotated by 180°.

FIG. 2 shows a plugged together cable conduit having a tub-shapedprofiled section 10, two partial profiled lateral wall sections 20, twoprofiled wall end sections 30 and two profiled cover sections 40,wherein the plug connections between the profiled sections areidentified by element reference numerals 14, 21 and 22, 32, and thepivot connections by element reference numerals 33, 41.

As FIG. 3 shows, the cable conduit can be enlarged in steps in thedirection of the lateral legs 13 of the tub-shaped profiled section 10,wherein the number of the partial profiled lateral wall sections 20determines the height of the cable conduit. At their front ends theconnecting grooves 15, 24 and 32 can receive connecting elements 50,which are embodied as hooks and can be suspended in slits of verticalcolumns of the furniture frame.

The cable conduit in accordance with FIG. 2 can be enlarged to form acable conduit in accordance with FIG. 3 by means of four further partialprofiled lateral wall sections 20, wherein the lateral walls are simplyextended.

As FIG. 4 shows, the cable conduit in accordance with FIG. 1 can bedownwardly extended, wherein a louver-like cover wall is plugged to thetub-shaped profiled section 10 by means of four partial profiled wallsections 20, as shown by the plug-in groove 17 and the plug-in 22. Thiscover wall can form a rear wall, for example, and form a visual barriertoward the front of the piece of workstation furniture. A furthertub-shaped profiled section 10 can be plugged to the lower profiledlateral wall section 40, as shown by the plug-in grove 21 and theplug-in strip 14, which can then be utilized as a cable tub or the like.

The cable conduit combination in accordance with FIG. 5 is similarlydesigned. The cable conduit, closed at the top, comprises a tub-shapedprofiled section 10, two partial profiled lateral wall sections 20, twoprofiled wall end sections 30 and two profiled cover sections 40, andwith the downwardly added four partial profiled wall sections 20 itcorresponds to the combination in accordance with FIG. 4, but isrepresented in the plugged together state. Three further profiledlateral wall sections 20 adjoin the further tub-shaped profiled section10 on the bottom as an extension of the rear wall.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a kit for cable conduits for a piece ofworkstation furniture having several different profiled sections, whichcan be plugged together, with essentially flat exteriors and supportconnecting strips or connecting grooves on an interior, the improvementcomprising four different profiled sections: a tub-shaped profiledsection (10) of a U-shaped cross section having lateral legs (13) eachending in one of a first plug-in strip (14) and a first plug-in groove(31), and each forming one of a second plug-in groove (17) and a secondplug-in strip at each of transition areas to a base leg (11), and thetab-shaped profile section (10) having a first plugging directionoriented in a first plane of the lateral legs (13); essentially flatpartial profiled lateral wall sections (20) each having a third plug-ingroove (21) on a first longitudinal edge and a third plug-in strip (22)on a second longitudinal edge, with the partial profiled lateral wallsections (20) having a second plugging direction oriented in a secondplane of the partial profiled lateral wall sections (20); essentiallyflat profiled wall end sections (30) with one of a fourth plug-in groove(31) and a fourth plug-in strip (22) on the first longitudinal edge anda hinge receiver (33) on the second longitudinal edge, with the profiledwall end sections (30) having a third plugging direction oriented in athird plane of the profiled wall end sections (30); and essentially flatprofiled cover sections (40) with a hinge strip (41) on an edge of eachof the profiled cover sections (40).
 2. In the kit in accordance withclaim 1, wherein a plug-in depth of each of the plug-in strips (14, 22)is matched to a groove depth of each of the plug-in grooves (17, 21,31).
 3. In the kit in accordance with claim 2, wherein an interior ofeach of the profiled sections forms a T-shaped connecting groove (12,15, 24, 32).
 4. In the kit in accordance with claim 3, wherein theconnecting groove (12, or 15, 24, 32) of the profiled sections havedifferent dimensions.
 5. In the kit in accordance with claim 4, whereinthe connecting groove (15, 24, 32) receives a connecting element (50)plugged-in at a front.
 6. In the kit in accordance with claim 5, whereina horizontally oriented cable conduit and a connecting element (50) areformed as a hook which is suspended on a vertical column of a furnitureframe.
 7. In the kit in accordance with claim 6, wherein near the hingereceiver (33), each of the profiled wall end sections (30) has a firstcontact strip (34, 42), and near the hinge strip (41), each of theprofiled cover sections (40) has a second contact strip which limit anddefine at least one pivot position of one of the profiled cover sections(40) on one of the profiled wall end sections (30).
 8. In the kit inaccordance with claim 7, wherein closed and partially open cableconduits of different cross sections, and louver covering walls areassembled from the tub-shaped profiled section (10), the partialprofiled lateral wall sections (20), the profiled wall end sections (30)and the profiled cover sections (40).
 9. In the kit in accordance withclaim 1, wherein an interior of each of the profiled sections forms aT-shaped connecting groove (12, 15, 24, 32).
 10. In the kit inaccordance with claim 9, wherein connecting grooves (12, or 15, 24, 32)of the profiled sections have different dimensions.
 11. In the kit inaccordance with claim 3, wherein connecting grooves (15, 24, 32) of theprofiled sections each receives a connecting element (50) plugged-in ata front.
 12. In the kit in accordance with claim 11, wherein ahorizontally oriented cable conduit and a connecting element (50) areformed as a hook which is suspended on a vertical column of a furnitureframe.
 13. In the kit in accordance with claim 1, wherein near the hingereceiver (33), each of the profiled wall end sections (30) has a firstcontact strip (34, 42), and near the hinge strip (41), each of theprofiled cover sections (40) has a second contact strip which limit anddefine at least one pivot position of one of the profiled cover sections(40) on one of the profiled wall end sections (30).
 14. In the kit inaccordance with claim 1, wherein closed and partially open cableconduits of different cross sections, and louver covering walls areassembled from the tub-shaped profiled section (10), the partialprofiled lateral wall sections (20), the profiled wall end sections (30)and the profiled cover sections (40).